Villanova Football Product Christian Benford Inks $76 Million Deal

Christian Benford entered the NFL with little fanfare as a sixth round pick out of Villanova football in 2022. Now he’s one of the fifteen highest paid cornerbacks in the league after inking a four year, $76 million extension with the Buffalo Bills per a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Benford, 24, enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024 with 50 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and ten passes defensed. With five picks and 25 passes defensed in his three year career, Benford has a knack for getting his hands on the football.

He broke into the Bills’ starting lineup as a rookie, beating out first round pick Kaiir Elam after a successful training camp battle, but injuries limited him to just five starts and nine games played. Injuries have posed a problem for him, as he suffered a knee injury in the 2024 NFL playoffs before exiting with a concussion during the Bills’ AFC Championship Game loss to Kansas City back in January. With 15 games played in each of the past two seasons, however, he’s managed to stay on the field most of the time, and his play when healthy justifies the big bucks on a team in the mix for a Super Bowl run every season.

Benford could see another Villanova football alumnus join him in Buffalo, as the Bills met with Wildcats’ cornerback Isas Waxter II at the NFL Combine in February.